Moto X: Motorola's Not-So-Bold Rebirth

As Motorola prepares to reveal the Moto X, its first smartphone developed under Google's ownership, here's what we expect.

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Google executives Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and chairman Eric Schmidt have been teasing us with small details about the Moto X smartphone all year. The Moto X will be the first phone to come from Motorola fully developed after the company was purchased by Google. The company has planned a media event for August 1 to announce the device. Here's what is expected from Motorola and Google.

Earlier this year, Google's CEO made remarks that provided a preview of the Moto X. "Think about your device," said Page. "Battery life is a challenge for most people. You shouldn't need to carry around a charger to make it through the day. If your kid spills their drink on your tablet, the screen shouldn't die. And when you drop your phone, it shouldn't shatter. Having just seen Motorola's upcoming products myself, I'm real excited about the potential there. In just under a year, they have accomplished a lot, and have impressive velocity and execution."

Fast-forward to today, and it looks like Motorola has indeed weighed these factors in designing the Moto X.

To start, according to leaked press shots, the device has a removable Kevlar shell. Motorola has long employed Kevlar in device designs, and the X will be the latest phone to take advantage of the tougher material. The device will come in white and black. Similarly, some of Motorola's Droid products for Verizon Wireless have used nano-coatings on their innards to protect them from water damage. Expect that from the Moto X as well.

Speaking of the innards, they're not quite as impressive as perhaps many hoped. The leaked specs point to a screen measuring 4.7 inches with 1280 by 720 pixels. That doesn't quite match the full HD screens of today's best phones. Further, the X will be powered by a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960DT processor, clocked at 1.7 GHz. That's two cores short of what the Samsung Galaxy S4 boasts. The processor will be paired with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. The Moto X won't have a memory card slot. It will have a sizable 2200-mAh battery, and dual cameras (10 megapixels on the front and 2 megapixels on the back). It has dual microphones to help record higher-quality audio when shooting video.

Motorola is going to make the Moto X in Texas. The company has taken control of a manufacturing facility there and began hiring workers earlier this year.

Motorola has not been shy about dropping hints about the Moto X. It's coming soon. The company is clearly excited to show off what it's been doing for the past year.

I'm confused by this part of the specs -- you wrote " It will have a sizable 2200-mAh battery, and dual cameras (10 megapixels on the front and 2 megapixels on the back). " Don't most people use the rear-facing camera to take pictures or shoot video? Why would there be fewer megapixels on the back than the front? Maybe a typo?

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